As schools are in full swing, I thought this would be a good time to remind post-secondary administrators that there are simple things you can do now to improve your fall retention.  This is especially true if you serve a substantial Pell-eligible population.  Most campuses finally have mobile first campus app – but few utilize them effectively to support retention.  Here are a few tips that are easy to implement and that will impact student retention.

1. Send out a micro-survey now to all of your students who haven’t paid their fall bill in full.  It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just a single multiple-choice question:  “how do you intend to pay your fall bill?”  List your multiple choice answers as “financial aid, working, I don’t know, other.”  If your system is a little more sophisticated, you can set it up to automatically send additional information to students depending on how they respond.  Students who haven’t yet paid their bill and indicate that they plan to use financial aid, send a follow-up communication letting them know that help is available.  The whole financial aid system can be very confusing (particularly for first-generation students) so clearly communicating how they can get help is critical. Similarly, students who need to work to help pay their bill may need assistance securing work.  You know your campus and the resources available to your team.  If you don’t have the manpower to reach out in person, make sure you reach out electronically with detailed information so that students don’t find themselves unable to register for spring term because they have an outstanding bill.
2. Your administrative team knows about critical milestones throughout the year.  Use your campus app to proactively share information with students about these milestones.  According to a recent Pew Research study, 95% of teens indicate that they have access to a smartphone which is why mobile technology is so critical.  Based on my own experience working with students, I know that they are much more likely to open a notification that they can easily glance at on their phones rather than trying to log into email on their smartphones.
3. We know that this generation of students continues to struggle with mental health and other issues at rates that are significantly higher than what we saw 3- 5 years ago.  Capitalize on the fact that students are digital natives and proactively share information about stress, anxiety, substance abuse, etc. in your campus app.  Many students will be more likely to utilize the information and get the help they need before they reach crisis level.  When you share information via your app, it is much less “threatening” than direct outreach as students report feeling more in control of their situation when they can get the information they need and decide what they want to do with that information.

Students want to be successful.  Let’s help them!  Don’t wait for your early alert systems to let you know a student might need help half way through the term.  Empower them now, so that they don’t find themselves in crisis (mentally, academically, financially, etc.) to late in the term to turn things around.